we don’t have homes anymore
wrapped in a dark cloud
angry floods
have swept away our peace & solace
buried alive in mudslides
of devastation
we don’t have homes anymore
a church is not a home
there’s a torrent
of fear
here
a school is not a home
there’s a social turmoil
here
a community hall is not a home
there’s a mutilation
of dignity
here
we don’t have homes anymore
to take these coffins to
we don’t have umsamo anymore
to take these spirits to
all erased & swallowed up
by swelled rivers
angry floods
have swept away our peace & solace
buried alive in mudslides
of devastation
we don’t have homes anymore
a church is not a home
there’s a torrent
of fear
here
a school is not a home
there’s a social turmoil
here
a community hall is not a home
there’s a mutilation
of dignity
here
we don’t have homes anymore
to take these coffins to
we don’t have umsamo anymore
to take these spirits to
all erased & swallowed up
by swelled rivers
elegy for life esidimeni
the river of life
runs dry
a lonely cry
falls on a cobweb
of silence
& justice
is aborted
to save a politician
but the truth dwells
in the bowels
of corruption
ngugi
it is the devil
escaping
the cross
in a country where the loss
of black life
is cheaper
than fong kong
runs dry
a lonely cry
falls on a cobweb
of silence
& justice
is aborted
to save a politician
but the truth dwells
in the bowels
of corruption
ngugi
it is the devil
escaping
the cross
in a country where the loss
of black life
is cheaper
than fong kong
BIO:
Zama Madinana is a South African poet based in Johannesburg. His work has appeared in Stanzas, Botsotso, Carapace, Poetry Potion, The Thinker, Sunday World, New Coin and other literary publications. His work focuses mainly on love, politics and social issues. In 2021, he won the third prize of the Sol Plaatje EU Poetry Award. He is the author of a poetry chapbook Water & Lights.
Zama Madinana is a South African poet based in Johannesburg. His work has appeared in Stanzas, Botsotso, Carapace, Poetry Potion, The Thinker, Sunday World, New Coin and other literary publications. His work focuses mainly on love, politics and social issues. In 2021, he won the third prize of the Sol Plaatje EU Poetry Award. He is the author of a poetry chapbook Water & Lights.
